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9 tips for finding great child care

Finding - and keeping - good child care is one of the most difficult and least understood aspects of family health.

If both parents work, finding quality child care is vital for the financial and psychological wellbeing of all family members. Parents simply cannot go to work, or do a good job for their employer, without it.

So here are Kidspot's top tips for finding - and maintaining - high quality child care.

Work out the best type of care for your needs

There are so many types of care - child care centres (both private and public), family day care by an accredited carer in their home, live-in nanny, live-out nanny, au pair, extended family members such as grandparents … the list goes on.

Take time to work out what your family needs - can you always be available for the rigid pick-up times imposed by many day care centres? Make your own list of costs and the pros and cons. Ask parents you respect for recommendations and make the time to check out a few child care centres or nannies if you are considering these options.

Finding good care is a process that's rarely accomplished within a few days or weeks. Accept that there is no "right" answer, and that your needs may change over time as your family grows and the juggling at work grows with new job demands.

Trust your instincts

There's no denying that gut instinct has a huge role to play in selecting child care. Parents need to get a feel for the carer or type of facility where their child will be cared for. Even the most well qualified nanny or expensive acclaimed day care centre can be wrong for you and your family.

Don't overlook the obvious things like checking a day care centre for cleanliness, safety and signs that the staffers actually like children. Quality day care centres will allow parents and children to spend an hour or two at the centre (as long as you supervise your child) to watch how parents, employees and kids interact.

When you've done your research, don't rely too heavily on anyone else's opinion, experience or an agency's rating. Everybody has biases, and your situation is unique -- no other family will have the same combination of baby's temperament, your work situation, your partner's work situation, where you live, where you work and your expectations of child care. You need to be comfortable that your choice is the right one for your family -- not the right one for someone else.

Trust your children's instincts

If your child doesn't bond with a caregiver, the arrangement won't work. Ask your child about their caregiver -- as soon as they can talk! Older kids are a much better judge of character than you think. Small babies and toddlers are harder to ask, but watching the interaction between caregiver and child will let you know everything.

Don't make your decision on cost alone

Child care workers, whether they are day care employees, private nannies, or the teen-aged babysitter next door, are rarely paid well. Yet the costs to parents for day care is sometimes not worth one of the parents working!

The Australian Federal Government pays a Childcare Benefit to all families receiving part A or part B of the Family Tax Benefit and most families are eligible to claim the 50% child care rebate each quarter up to more than $7000 a year. These rebates can be complex, and it's worth checking in with Centrelink or the Family Assistance Office as to whether your type of day care is accredited for rebates and benefits. You can also use the online estimator at Centrelink's site to work out how much child care will cost after all benefits and rebates are taken into account.

Certainly family day care, community child care centres and kindergartens and au pairs are some of the cheaper forms of care, but these won't suit all families. Some parents prefer the peace of mind of a more expensive day care centre with high staff ratios and quality programs. The cheapest - or most expensive - options are not always the best to go with.

The best questions to ask include:

How many hours of care do I need? The whole day? Just mornings? Just afternoons? Just a few hours a week? Or just occasionally, like when I have an appointment and need someone to look after my children?

Do I want my child cared for in a home environment or in a centre?

What kind of qualifications and experience do staff members have?

Does the service offer a preschool program?

What learning and play opportunities do I want my child to have?

What kind of routine will my child have?

Do I want the service to provide lunch? Can I have a look at a sample meal plan?

Does the service provide nappies for children under the age of two?

What is the carer-to-child ratio?

Can I claim Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate if I choose a certain child care service?

Signs of good child caregivers

Most child care centres in Australia are accredited by a central body for all kinds of features, and most will share their accreditation with prospective new parents. Look for day care centres with low staff turnovers and long waiting lists - these are usually the best! A good nanny will have experience, first aid qualifications and a drivers licence - but don't forget to check their references, even if they come from an agency.

Convenience and location matters

If you aren't considering having a nanny work from your home, then you need to find a place as close as possible to your house and work places. When evaluating options, think about your child's temperament, schedule and habits, any plans you have for more children, and your workplace requirements. Don't assume that all places can adjust to your ever-changing work schedule. You have to be flexible to a certain degree, too; but you should find a place that is willing to work with you. Most centres will happily accomodate early pick ups but will rarely tolerate after-hours pick ups, with many centres charging minute-by-minute fines to discourage parents waiting until after closing time to pick up the kids. A quality centre is usually happy to make some kind of arrangement for a late pick-up if it's organised in advance and can be accommodated by the staff.

Have a back-up child care plan

Stuff happens: Nannies quit, your child gets sick, centres close, day cares have teacher training days. Figure out in advance what you're going to do when your child care arrangement implodes, for a day, a week, or longer-term basis. Keep a list of phone numbers and email addresses at home and at work. A good backup plan will minimise trauma for your child and your balancing act.

Be organised

Take a few minutes each night to make sure your child's bag is packed, bottles are made and a change of clothes is in the bag. There are few more disruptive annoyances than getting a call on your way to work after drop-off telling you that your child doesn't have formula or a hat to wear outside to play.

Quit the guilt

Most mums feel torn about child care - at least on some days. Research shows that quality care helps children bond with other caring adults and children in productive, healthy ways that strengthen a child's self-esteem and self-reliance. Teaching your child to trust others (and himself) is part of good parenting. Watch out for surprise guilt -- it's OK if your child is the last one at child care to get picked up sometimes; one-on-one time with the teacher can sometimes be a special treat. Remember to make drop off and pick up fun rather than a rush. And remember, we all have to make the very best decisions we can at the time - and there's no harm in changing them when circumstances change. And they will!